This application relates generally to disc drives and more particularly to a system for boosting the concentration of a gas other than air within a disc drive.
A disc drive typically includes a base to which various components of the disc drive are mounted. A top cover cooperates with the base to form a housing that defines an internal clean environment for the disc drive. Sealing and filling the clean environment of disc drives with gases other than air can enhance their performance. For example, low-density inert gases such as helium can reduce the aerodynamic drag between the discs and their associated read/write heads by a factor of approximately five-to-one compared to operating in air. This reduced drag results in reduced power requirements for the spindle motor. A helium filled drive thus uses substantially less power than a comparable disc drive that operates in an air environment
Despite the advantages of helium filled drives, such drives have not been commercially successful. This is mainly due to problems associated with the helium leaking from the disc drives over time. As the helium leaks out, air leaks in causing undesirable effects in the operation of the disc drives and possibly causing the disc drives to fail. For example, the increased concentration of air may increase the forces on the read/write head due to turbulent airflow within a drive and it may cause noise and/or the heads to fly at too great a distance above the discs.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system that can effectively boost the concentration of a gas other than air, such as helium, in a disc drive during use. The present invention provides a solution to this and other problems, and offers other advantages over the prior art.
Against this backdrop the present invention has been developed. An embodiment of the present invention is a system for boosting a concentration of a gas other than air, such as helium, within an enclosed disc drive environment. The system includes a pressurized reservoir of the gas other than air within the disc drive environment. The gas other than air flows from the reservoir through an outlet and into the disc drive environment. Additionally, a particle trap within the disc drive environment traps air particles.
In one embodiment, the outlet is a diaphragm through which the gas other than air diffuses into the disc drive environment. In another embodiment, a pressure sensor connected to the disc drive environment is able to produce a pressure signal representative of the disc drive environment pressure. A control module receives the pressure signal and supplies the gas other than air from the reservoir to the disc drive environment if the pressure within the disc drive environment is within a predetermined pressure range. The control module ceases supplying the gas other than air from the reservoir to the disc drive environment if the pressure within the disc drive environment is above the predetermined pressure range.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a disc drive defining an enclosed disc drive environment. The disc drive includes a system for boosting a concentration of a gas other than air, such as helium, within an enclosed disc drive environment. The system includes a pressurized reservoir of the gas other than air within the disc drive environment. The gas other than air flows from the reservoir through an outlet and into the disc drive environment. Additionally, a particle trap within the disc drive environment traps air particles.
These and various other features as well as advantages which characterize the present invention will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings.